A few years ago Microsoft got taken to town by the EU and was forced to offer up “browser ballot” selections screens for downloading an alternative browser for consumers in the EU.
At the time of the ruling, Microsoft was well entrenched in the browser wars but the market today looks dramatically different than that of when the ruling was issued. Well, during an update (post Windows Service Pack 1) the browser ballot screen vanished, which was against the wishes of the EU ruling and they are looking to drop the hammer, once again, on Microsoft.
So, seeing that Microsoft got caught (it is up for debate if the remove was intentional or an accident) not abiding by the ruling, Reuters is reporting that the EU will slap Microsoft’s wrists once again by the end of March.
While there is no indication on what the penalty will be, the EU is not known for treading lightly in the finance department and it could have a material impact on Microsoft’s financials if the EU choose to make Microsoft an example to other companies.
Source: Reuters